Artists For Africa
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
On Monday 26 May a group of representatives from major stakeholders in the arts and culture sector got together to discuss the xenophobic crisis facing the country. From this meeting a civil society organization, Artists for Africa, was formed that aims to address this and related issues as a unified response from the creative industries.
Identifying the unique role that artists can should play in combating injustices and the unique skills that they can bring to bear on the matter, the group committed themselves to assist civil society both in the immediate crisis and in the medium and long term.
STATEMENT BY ARTISTS FOR AFRICA ON THE VIOLENCE AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONALS
If art were to mirror our society right now, it would reflect the rainbow as a tattered farce, the African Renaissance as a bad stand-up comedy routine, the notion of ubuntu as a horror movie, and our much-admired constitution as a satire on what we have become.
Given where we have come from, with Madiba’s inaugural “never again” speech still ringing in our ears, and with the dream that we would be a beacon of humanity, dignity and tolerance, there can be little excuse for the sheer brutality in the violence wreaked against foreign nationals in the last few weeks.
At the same time, we recognise the desperate conditions in which many of our fellow citizens continue to live. The horrific statistics of AIDS-related deaths, of victims of violent crime and of infant mortality bear testimony to a people brutalised by the genocide of neglect and dehumanised by the third force of poverty.
We call upon the many ordinary citizens who have rallied in response to the current humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale to translate these efforts into concerted action that will revive the non-racial project, hold accountable those responsible for delivery and help to build a truly better society for all.
We call upon our colleagues in the arts community to employ their creativity in the service of all our people to speak truth to power and to continue to remind us of our dreams.
It is time for us as citizens to reassert our central role in our democracy, to reclaim ownership of our ideals and to practice our common humanity.
About Artists for Africa
Artists for Africa was launched as an informal network of artists, cultural organisations and institutions on Monday 26 May 2008 to help coordinate action by the arts and culture sector in response to the violence against foreign nationals as it reflects itself in Cape Town.
Like other citizens and organisations, numerous individual artists and arts organisations have given of their time and resources in the last few weeks. Artists for Africa will provide a mechanism for greater collective action, to encourage the arts community to utilise its unique creativity at this time and to plan and embark on further action beyond this particular crisis.
The founding committee consists of
Andrew Lamprecht (UCT Michaelis School of Fine Art)
Karen Jeynes (Performing Arts Network of South Africa)
Mandla Mbothwe (Magnet Theatre and UCT Drama School)
Kathy Coates (Iziko Museum)
Mike van Graan (Africa Centre)
Robert Weinek (Public Eye)
Dathini Mzayiya (Gugulective and Arts South Africa Initiative)
Farzanah Badsha: (Africa Centre)
Identifying the unique role that artists can should play in combating injustices and the unique skills that they can bring to bear on the matter, the group committed themselves to assist civil society both in the immediate crisis and in the medium and long term.
STATEMENT BY ARTISTS FOR AFRICA ON THE VIOLENCE AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONALS
If art were to mirror our society right now, it would reflect the rainbow as a tattered farce, the African Renaissance as a bad stand-up comedy routine, the notion of ubuntu as a horror movie, and our much-admired constitution as a satire on what we have become.
Given where we have come from, with Madiba’s inaugural “never again” speech still ringing in our ears, and with the dream that we would be a beacon of humanity, dignity and tolerance, there can be little excuse for the sheer brutality in the violence wreaked against foreign nationals in the last few weeks.
At the same time, we recognise the desperate conditions in which many of our fellow citizens continue to live. The horrific statistics of AIDS-related deaths, of victims of violent crime and of infant mortality bear testimony to a people brutalised by the genocide of neglect and dehumanised by the third force of poverty.
We call upon the many ordinary citizens who have rallied in response to the current humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale to translate these efforts into concerted action that will revive the non-racial project, hold accountable those responsible for delivery and help to build a truly better society for all.
We call upon our colleagues in the arts community to employ their creativity in the service of all our people to speak truth to power and to continue to remind us of our dreams.
It is time for us as citizens to reassert our central role in our democracy, to reclaim ownership of our ideals and to practice our common humanity.
About Artists for Africa
Artists for Africa was launched as an informal network of artists, cultural organisations and institutions on Monday 26 May 2008 to help coordinate action by the arts and culture sector in response to the violence against foreign nationals as it reflects itself in Cape Town.
Like other citizens and organisations, numerous individual artists and arts organisations have given of their time and resources in the last few weeks. Artists for Africa will provide a mechanism for greater collective action, to encourage the arts community to utilise its unique creativity at this time and to plan and embark on further action beyond this particular crisis.
The founding committee consists of
Andrew Lamprecht (UCT Michaelis School of Fine Art)
Karen Jeynes (Performing Arts Network of South Africa)
Mandla Mbothwe (Magnet Theatre and UCT Drama School)
Kathy Coates (Iziko Museum)
Mike van Graan (Africa Centre)
Robert Weinek (Public Eye)
Dathini Mzayiya (Gugulective and Arts South Africa Initiative)
Farzanah Badsha: (Africa Centre)
posted by Robert Sloon at 11:01 AM
3 Comments:
Well good luck, chaps, and I envy you. It must be really nice to believe that art is a reflection of society and has any influence outside a miniscule intelligentsia who are already thoroughly deploring the awfully unideal behaviour of a population they hold dear as noble savages. Yes, xenophobia and racism and sexism are all deplorable. The intelligentsia are completely above that kind of thing, although they do have to fire the garden boy occasionally when he steals the odd toilet roll. But that is a practical issue, not an ideological one. Isn't it?
It might be remembered though, that our immigrant population has been the subject of many shows by Sue Williamsson, at the Goodman and even back at the Brett Kebble Awards, yet strangely the inhabitants of Katlehong seem unaware of this.
On the other hand, if some of this rare and interesting stuff that is going to happen gets as far as the central business district of Khayelitsha I'll be impressed, as I will if I see a bunch of white artists going out there in T-shirts saying "Foreigner".
If not, maybe our expert skills should rather be used washing shit-covered blankets or handing over cheques.
ooh.......
sit on your hands and bitch...
thanks for posting!!!
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